Upstream Problem, Downstream Playbook (Part Four)

By Lawrence Funderburke•April 23, 2025•21 Minutes

Hype fizzles and hope fades without the help. To whom much is given, much more is required. And when you see a need and don’t fulfill it — ardent capitalists, I’m speaking to you! — a lot of innocent people get hurt (and left behind) in the process. Now, capitalism gets a bad rap when certain segments of society who have less begrudge, and sometimes berate, those who have a whole lot more. Obviously, it’s nearly impossible to move up the socioeconomic ladder when you have tremendous disdain or utter contempt for those who’ve legitimately climbed to the top of it. These ladder climbers have worked hard, played by the rules, and taken the necessary risks to generate wealth. No harm, but why are they being called for a foul? Without question, capitalism has its fair share of embedded flaws, and they’re too numerous to cover in this article. But this flawed system is still the best option we have among competing alternatives, notably socialism, collectivism, marxism, egalitarianism, and transhumanism. Without access to capital, it’s easy, really quite natural, to take issue with the excesses of capitalism.

I get it. Equal opportunities do not always translate into equitable outcomes. This is where the haters of capitalism miss the mark, demanding that the government step in and legislate social outcomes based solely from the lens of economic justice. Serving as the de facto referee to mitigate wealth inequalities is a slippery slope for any governmental agency to oversee. In sports, the best referees are those who aren’t noticed, no matter where the game is being played — at home or on the road. They intervene only when the “right call” requires it, independent of the background noise. As a compassionate capitalist myself, we’re free to earn a great living individually or entrepreneurially, so long as we’re good stewards of the planet while empowering the least among us in lockstep with our money-making endeavors. Arms-length donors are good, where high net worth individuals and families write sizable checks to charitable organizations. However, in-person philanthropists are best. They’re not afraid to fund worthwhile causes and embrace sociophilanthropy, where mega-affluent Americans reach and teach the less fortunate, on their court, how to build legacy wealth. One income stream or investment asset at a time.

An Opportunity (and Free Meal!) Too Good to Pass Up

I enjoy being in the presence of really smart people who are also extremely successful, even if we disagree politically or philosophically. Nearly two decades ago, I had the pleasure of meeting former New York City mayor, Rudy Giuliani. He was in town to discuss a sizable investment in the Central Ohio market with a group of business leaders, a who’s who consortium of power brokers across the Midwest and East Coast. I was sitting in the lobby at the New Albany Country Club. Walking by, Mayor Giuliani found out who I was and asked, “Would you like to join us for lunch?” I responded, “Absolutely!” The look on some of his colleagues’ faces, all white men except me, said it all. “Why is he being invited in our group? He’s clearly not one of us.” I wasn’t, but that didn’t stop me from being present and making my presence felt that afternoon (as I usually do in settings where I stick out like a sore thumb). As the lunch meeting wrapped up, Mayor Giuliani turned and asked me, “Lawrence, would you like to share anything?” The grin on my face was from ear to ear. I enthusiastically replied, “Sir, I do have something to add, actually two questions to ask.” I continued, “Gentlemen, we’re talking about the economics of construction projects, right?” They nodded in agreement. “But what are we doing to bridge the wealth gap in our society between the haves and have-nots?” No one, not even Mayor Giuliani, had a response to this question — just blank stares and personal reflections. Yes, the “troublemaker” was in the building.

Making Waves So That Every Opportunity Boat Can Rise

Sounds harsh to the sensitive types, but this jaw-dropping quote by Dr. Phil is heartbreaking. On the financial front, think about the ramifications this has for taxpayers (in the hundreds of billions of dollars each year) who have to foot the bill when millions of unsuspecting Americans move from childhood to adulthood without being properly educated. The result? Prison populations and welfare rolls swell up even more. We are setting our most vulnerable kids up for failure down the road if we do not intervene before these students reach middle school. And high school is way too late! This is why a downstream playbook is needed to combat an upstream problem, one in which poorly performing students don’t even know they’ll face in the future. Remember my emphasis on the alpha brain wave state in the first three articles of this series? Watch this. Between the ages of 9 and 12, third through sixth grade, children start questioning their view of reality. “Hey, wait a minute — this doesn’t make any sense!” They also find out that the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, and Santa Claus aren’t real, which captured their imagination in the fantasy world state of theta wave frequencies (or the two to six age range). My apologies for being Ebenezer Scrooge in breaking this news 🙂

During the alpha brain wave state, kids are still receptive or open to new information. This is the sweet spot of personal growth and financial education downloads, where children are forming their beliefs and shaping their values, among over 100 other areas of brain development. In general, here’s what is taking place in young minds when alpha wave frequencies are in overdrive mode throughout their waking hours: They’re making estimations and drawing conclusions about what is (or isn’t) possible in life from a macro or big-picture perspective. In other words, young people are making decisions about what opportunities they do or don’t want to weigh on the scales of possibility. Literally, they will talk themselves into or out of a faith commitment with life-altering future consequences. Now, most youth won’t likely know their career path at this time — becoming a lawyer, teacher, trainer, truck driver, fashion designer, computer programmer, or business owner, among other noteworthy professions — but they’ll have a pretty good idea whether they’re game for embracing or avoiding the workload to achieve a successful life. That’s why fifth grade is the perfect time to introduce at-risk students to getting a job, earning a paycheck, managing a household, building good credit, and investing in stocks. The further ahead they can see, the less distracted underprivileged youth will be — right now when neuronal connections are expanding. Their life scripts and self-talk filters are being set in motion during this pivotal age range.

Right Foundation Laid, Success Bridge Built

Our three bridge-building pillars to improve the educational outcomes for at-risk students include financial preparedness, physical fitness, and nutritional wellness. Lessons learned early in life can prevent costly problems later in life. Whether it’s an abbreviated or extended program for inner-city schools, we start with money. Our signature game, Reality Days, helps students see the correlation between post-secondary education and lifetime earnings. Now, college isn’t for everyone but some type of education is mandatory, even if it’s an apprenticeship for a skilled trade. For higher-income earning game participants, they gripe (okay, complain) about paying more taxes than their lower-income counterparts. Enter a riveting discussion on our progressive tax code. Assumptions are made, given that each player is presumed to be a married, seasoned adult and primary breadwinner. Some of the game participants have children to take care of, others do not. Food, clothing, and childcare quickly add up, causing several students to blurt out, “I ain’t having no kids; they’re too expensive!” To which I’ll reply, “Children are a blessing. But parents shouldn’t bring a child into this world until they’re mentally prepared and financially ready for the responsibility.” Although this insight is anecdotal, many past LFYO participants have avoided unplanned pregnancies (as teenagers) after taking part in one of our programs. In some small way — perhaps due to emotive association — I suspect this real-world game may have influenced their thought process to delay an untimed pregnancy. I also share with every group that middle-to-high-income caregivers, on average, will spend between $150,000 to $300,000 from birth to age 17 for each child. That’s right, per kid! Of course, this does not include college expenses.

When the body moves, the brain improves. That’s why physical fitness is so important to our educational mission. Those of us who are over 50 can remember the time in grammar school when gym class and two recesses were the daily rule, not the weekly exception. And standardized test scores have been plummeting ever since physical education was devalued in the late 1990s and early 2000s, especially for our ants-in-their-pants boys (who should be moving more outside and sitting less inside). Is it an ADHD problem or an NATD issue, as in a “no activity today disaster”? That sugared-up energy boost from an artificially sweetened breakfast or calorie-packed, nutrient-deficient lunch has to be expended somehow. In some districts around the country, kids barely move, outside of walking from one classroom to the next. Activity levels are way down across the board, while obesity rates and poor health outcomes have skyrocketed. Fewer kids competing in after-school activities mean more time playing video games, watching mind-numbing TV, or surfing the internet when they go home. In fairness, working-class parents may not have the time, money, or transportation to get their children involved in a sports-based program after school. We incorporate balancing exercises, tug-of-war games, and agility drills into our physical fitness routine. Students also learn how to stretch and breath properly. They even get a chance to play me one-on-one in basketball! What kids don’t know is that every activity is designed to improve a specific area of their brain, belly, or body. (We are cognizant of the fact that some kids have major anxiety around their weight. Thus, we do take measures — without letting them be excused from participating — to ease their fears due to embarrassment.)

Hacking Their Own Biochemical Code: It’s More Art Than Science

Perhaps the biggest benefit for high-need populations who take part in our program is this: we teach them how to hack their own biochemistry through practical and tactical, sensory-driven approaches. When they wake up in the morning, or look to the future, vulnerable students are stimulating glutamate receptors in the retina. This neurotransmitter provides visual, mental, and emotional stimulation to tackle each day’s demands. And food, what they eat nutritionally and consume inspirationally, will play a huge role in their upgraded olfactory and gustatory systems. Yes, success has a sweet-smelling aroma and flavorful profile to those who’ve faced a great deal of bitterness in life. Tasting success is not a figment of one’s imagination. In fact, it’s hardwired into mammalian taste buds. In addition to glutamate, other neurotransmitters on the tongue include serotonin (think sublime joy), norepinephrine (think intense concentration), acetylcholine (think muscle memory), GABA (think unshakable peace), and adenosine triphosphate or ATP (think cellular energy). It hasn’t been confirmed by researchers yet, but I have a sneaky suspicion that endorphins — think pain relievers and self-esteem boosters — may also be part of the taste bud apparatus. We do know that spicy foods boost endorphin levels with regularity. (This may explain why food scientists, aka neurotransmitter manipulators, place addictive ingredients in cakes, cookies, pastas, potato chips, French fries, hamburgers, and other American delicacies that elicit euphoric emotions in the bellies of satisfied customers.)

Biochemical wholeness is heavily reliant upon nutritional wellness, especially when it comes to regulating the autonomic nervous system (which consists of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems). Sympathetic dominance is par for the course in generational poverty, where financial hardships, toxic thoughts, and poor eating habits wreak havoc on depleted, stressed-out bodies. Turning down the sympathetic system’s emergency alarm bells and tuning into the parasympathetic system’s relaxation station is critical for emotional stability that can segue into personal growth. We provide healthy snacks — with organic ingredients — to students every session. The awards ceremony includes a certificate of achievement, $50 custodial savings account, share of publicly traded stock, and mentoring playbook poster for each participant. There’s more! Plus, a live cooking demo with Chef Jim Warner closes out the program in style. High-need populations deserve a first-class experience, complete with return-on-investment (ROI) expectations that can excite their success palates. For better life prospects and legacy projections.

In summary, it is only fitting for me to pay tribute to one of my mentors, a man who has been candid about his triumphs and trials throughout life, including being incarcerated for several years in the 2000s. Meet Dr. Roger D. Blackwell, a bestselling author and former business marketing professor of mine at Ohio State. I credit him a great deal for helping me incorporate personal branding as a key tenet of The Mr. Fundy’s Financial Life Skills for Youth Mentoring Initiative. It’s a theme that I emphasize in every empowerment class or workshop that we present to low-to-moderate income (LMI) communities. In his book Objective Prosperity, which Professor Blackwell co-authored with Dr. Roger A. Bailey, the birth lottery is highlighted. In short, the true currency of excess for the seniority class is their access. To more opportunities. To more options. To more opinions (from seasoned professionals who offer priceless advice). Children of wealthy parents have more access to goods and services than do their scarcity- or security-class peers. In baseball terminology, this is akin to someone being born on third base, also known as financial privilege. The authors note, “But here is a secret that [wealthy] people learn: It is better to have parents that give you values that help you to become prosperous than parents who give you money or capital.” Let that sink in for a moment. For at-risk populations and vulnerable students, financial values are what drive and define the meaning behind (or in front of) the money they’ll eventually earn and hopefully grow when hype, hope, and help are in ample supply. Let’s do our part in bridging the wealth gap in America.